Angelina Jolie’s Comments On Working Motherhood Put Gwyneth Paltrow’s To Shame, And Then Some

Angelina Jolie’s commentsabout her privilege as a rich and famous working mom will hopefully erase the grimace that’s been on your face since Gwyneth Paltrow tried to convince you otherwise. As you may or may not have gleaned from the total ease with which she and Brad Pitt get their kids cast in coveted film roles, parenthood as a powerful actor human is a lot different from that as a normal. And the refreshing thing is that Angie recognizes this! She knows that she’s got privilege spilling out of her ears and gives the appropriate props to those who don’t.

In an interview with NY Daily News, Ang (these nicknames are getting dangerously short) acknowledged all of the things that poor Gwynnie seems to have trouble wrapping her head around.

“I’m not a single mom with two jobs trying to get by every day. I have much more support than most people, most women in this world. And I have the financial means to have a home and health care and food. When I feel I’m doing too much, I do less, if I can. And that’s why I’m in a rare position where I don’t have to do job after job. I can take time when my family needs it. I actually feel that women in my position, when we have all at our disposal to help us, shouldn’t complain.”

Did you just now hear faint echoes of a person screaming “YES, exactly!!” from a mountaintop? That was totally me, and I apologize if I startled you. But it’s about to happen again, because Angie went on to make this insightful comment even greater.

“Consider all the people who really struggle and don’t have the financial means, don’t have the support, and many people are single raising children. That’s hard.”

Oh man. OH MAN. Whether or not these comments were actually intended as sly digs at Gwyneth, she should just go ahead and take them that way. And, while she’s at it, start taking notes on how not to alienate everyone by being completely oblivious. Because, while I’d never blame Angie or Gwyneth for their privilege of resources, I still like it a whole lot that Angelina knows that not everyone’s up to their ears in the stuff. Fingers crossed that Gwyneth keeps that in mind literally any time the idea that “it’s much harder” for her than the average working mom creeps into her head!

I think it is terrible that the media is turning this into Angelina/Gweneth feud, when, in fact, Jolie never once mentioned Paltrow in the interview cited here or anywhere else. In fact, The NY Daily News (which is itself only one notch up from a tabloid), got the comments from Jolie after asking, “The Hollywood superstar — and supermom — was asked about the [wife of the mayor of NYC, Chirlane McCray’s,] infamous “mom guilt” [comments] as she promotes her motherhood-themed new movie, “Maleficent,” but promptly distanced herself from the stresses most parents feel.”

The Daily News specifically compared Joile with Chirline McCray, not Gweneth Paltrow, and Jolie didn’t name McCray in her comments, either. Jolie’s comments were about herself, and how she personally appreciates how much easier it is for “women in [her] place” than most people, most women in this world.”

“I’m not a single mom with two jobs trying to get by every day,” she told the Daily News when asked about McCray’s comments this week. “I have much more support than most people, most women in this world. And I have the financial means to have a home and health care and food.” Jolie did not state that McCray – or anyone else -was wrong to feel “mommy guilt”, which is a valid feeling that many, many mothers feel. Instead she expressed her own feelings about gratitude and not complaining when one has so much.

“I actually feel that women in my position, when we have all at our disposal to help us, shouldn’t complain. Consider all the people who really struggle and don’t have the financial means, don’t have the support, and many people are single raising children. That’s hard.”

Jolie choice of wording was unfortunate when she said that “women in my position shouldn’t complain,” as it’s not very tactful to dictate what other people should say, but she did qualify it by saying ,”in my position”. Who in the world, including Paltrow and McCray, are in her exact “position”?! She personalized the comment.

She certainly didn’t “slam” anyone! All she did was give some gracious comments about her own feelings. The Daily News might be trying to whip up a feud between McCray and Jolie and the rest of the media is doing the same with Paltrow, but it is a fiction meant to stir up headlines and draw readers. There is no feud, and I hope that Paltrow doesn’t stoop to responding to this and making it into a “thing”. I think what Paltrow said was incredibly thoughtless and a mistake that probably doesn’t reflect what she really thinks if she thinks about the issue. She really put her foot in her mouth, and hasn’t properly acknowledged or apologized for her comment. However, on her Goop page that starts with her (not very good) “apology” she does make a good point that women need to be more supportive of each other than they currently are. The “mommy wars” (bad catchphrase) is real, and we women should respect each others choices. I don’t think Angelina was trying to start a “mommy war” with Gweneth or anyone else, she simply said, in essence, that we should try to be grateful for what we have and empathetic to our fellow humans. Too bad that message gets lost in the news that there might be a new celebrity feud.